David Smith could not have been happier with the performance of his stayer Ice Cream Story in winning at LADBROKES GARDENS last Friday in preparation for this week’s heats of the Newcastle Cup.
Ice Cream Story was having her first look at the track and didn’t have things her own way early before sweeping to the lead out of the back and racing away to score in 42.16s.
“I thought it was enormous. I was really happy with the run,” Smith said. “She had never been there and she does that little thing where she balks off the back of dogs.
“Down the back, when she came past us, she was really running within herself. The two in front of her were flat chat, and she was just summing up where to go.
“It said she had some on them, but when she gets against the good ones, she won’t be able to have that breather where she thinks about what she’s going to do.”
With plenty of depth in the NSW staying ranks, the fields for Friday’s Newcastle Cup heats are expected to be bulging with talented stayers all chasing the $25,000 final - won by Here’s Tears (pictured) last year - the following Friday.
Nominations for the Newcastle Cups heats close on Tuesday, November 30 at 9am.
